ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Brandon Phillips kick-started a nine-run ninth inning with a tiebreaking bloop double and Choo Shin-soo made amends for two botched fly balls with a three-run double, and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the St. Louis Cardinals’ home opener with a 13-4 victory on Monday.Mitchell Boggs (0-1), the stand-in closer for St. Louis, yielded six runs while getting only one out and the Cardinals needed four more pitchers to get out of the inning. Only a few thousand fans remained of the large

April 9, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Ryu Hyun-Jin is going to enjoy pitching for a team with the menacing lineup the Los Angeles Dodgers possess, and the hitters have become equally confident with the rotation that’s backing them up.The South Korean earned his first major league victory, shrugging off a two-run homer in the first inning by Andrew McCutchen and pitching the Dodgers past the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep. Adrian Gonzalez drove in four runs with three hits and Justin Sellers h

April 8, 2013

     LOS ANGELES -- South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers earned his first victory in Major League Baseball (MLB) on Sunday.   In his second career start at Dodger Stadium, Ryu pitched 6 1/3 strong innings and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the Dodgers won the game 6-2.The Dodgers improved to 4-2, while the Pirates fell to 1-5.   Ryu, who also struck out six batters, is the eighth South Korean pitcher to record a win in the

April 8, 2013

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Ian Desmond slapped his hands together as hard as he could when he approached home plate, about to score the go-ahead run in the 11th inning.His rough day was ending with a very good moment.Desmond made two errors that helped the Cincinnati Reds take the game to extra innings, then led off the 11th with his first home run of the season, rallying the Washington Nationals to a 7-6 victory Saturday.“A lot of mixed feelings right now,” Desmond said.Great American Ball Park can do t

April 7, 2013

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Joey Votto? One single in 10 at-bats. Jay Bruce? One double in 13 at-bats with seven strikeouts.Cincinnati’s top run producers barely got the bat on the ball, yet the Reds managed to win the major leagues’ first interleague series to open a season. Credit those other guys who don’t normally do the heavy lifting.Choo Shin-soo homered on Joe Blanton’s first pitch of the game Thursday, the first of Cincinnati’s three homers off the right-hander, and the Reds won 5-4 over the Los A

April 5, 2013

The Kia Tigers will be tested over the next month or so in the Korea Baseball Organization as they will be forced to play without their biggest offensive sparkplug.The Tigers, the trendy preseason pick to win it all in 2013, have lost outfielder Kim Joo-chan for up to six weeks. Kim took a pitch to his left hand in a game against the Hanwha Eagles on Wednesday and X-rays revealed a broken wrist. The team said he is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday.Kim remained in the game after taking th

April 4, 2013

CHANGWON (Yonhap News) ― The NC Dinos, the newest member of the Korea Baseball Organization, lost their inaugural game against the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, but the Dinos’ manager Kim Kyung-moon said he still sees hope for his team.The Dinos, the league’s ninth club, played their first-ever KBO game before a sellout crowd of 14,200 at Masan Stadium here in Changwon, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in South Gyeongsang Province. The Giants, though, spoiled the party by blanking the Dinos 4

April 3, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Madison Bumgarner pitched two-hit ball over eight innings, giving the San Francisco Giants a 3-0 win against the Dodgers while overshadowing the major league debut of high-priced Los Angeles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin on Tuesday night.Bumgarner (1-0) struck out six and walked none in the second straight gem at Dodger Stadium. The only hits were a pair of doubles by Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw homered and pitched a four-hit shutout in the Dodgers’ 4-0 vic

April 3, 2013

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Chris Iannetta hit a solo homer and a bases-loaded single in the 13th inning Monday, powering the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the majors’ first interleague season opener.Both teams emptied their benches and bullpens before Iannetta ― who caught all 13 innings ― finally provided the breakout hit.The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the 13th off J.J. Hoover, who walked two and hit Hank Conger, the Angels’ final position player. Iannetta

April 2, 2013

HOUSTON (AP) ― The Houston Astros and their spiffy new uniforms looked like a perfect fit in the American League.Rick Ankiel and the Astros made an impressive debut in the AL, trouncing the Texas Rangers 8-2 Sunday night in the major league opener and giving Bo Porter a win in his first game as manager.“To come out with a win is perfect,” Astros designated hitter Carlos Pena said. “To be part of it is really cool. To play our rivals here in Texas and to come out on top today, it’s a treat.”Ankie

April 1, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Ryu Hyun-jin is following in the footsteps of former major league pitcher Park Chan-ho, who inspired him and countless other South Korean kids who dreamed about getting to the big leagues.Ryu is slated to make his official debut Tuesday on the same mound Park threw his first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1994.Park spent 17 seasons in the majors before retiring at the end of the 2010 campaign with a 124-98 record, 4.36 ERA and 1,715 strikeouts. He spent his first ei

March 31, 2013